Never Gonna Say Goodbye is the third and final novella in a short sci-fi romance trilogy from Jessica E. Subject. The series follows the lives of individuals who work for a powerful company known as Planet Corp. We learned in the first two tales that Planet Corp is all-controlling, its leaders are malevolent, and several individuals have attempted to escape life with Planet Corp by joining The Underground. The third installment begins just after the “forbidden” weddings among those in The Underground, occurring at the conclusion of the second story. Our main hero, Will, is the leader of the resistance and his love is Tim. They are fighting for the freedom for all and for the right to love one another openly.

The story moves extremely quickly, and if you haven’t read the first two books in the series, you will probably have little interest in what is going on during Never Gonna Say Goodbye. All of the world building and most of the character development occurs during the first two stories. The story feels more like the final few chapters and epilogue from another book, rather than a stand alone story. There is relatively no time spent learning about Will and Tim; therefore, I felt little emotional attachment to the primary couple.

From near the beginning, Tim makes some pretty huge decisions that have MAJOR impacts on The Underground, Planet Core, and several characters, to include ones I have come to know and like from the previous novellas. In addition, there was a huge accident in the book which kept the primary pair apart, so we didn’t get much face time with Will and Tim as a couple. Instead of becoming emotionally invested, I felt like I was an outsider getting details about the going-ons.

While I wasn’t a fan of how Will and Tim’s romance was written, the overall story arc had several engrossing and gripping moments. We learn the “final fate” of each of the characters from earlier books, which, for better or worse, is a good thing. Ms. Subject does a nice job of wrapping up the entire plot in a satisfactory manner.

In the end, I feel that Never Gonna Say Goodbye is not bad, but not great. This final story in the trio of novellas was by far the simplest. Although there was loss, the reader never had time to mourn. The story was short and moved from scene to scene very quickly. With that, I do like the premise behind The Underground series. I just felt it was all rushed too much. It’s a decent short story, with readers of the series having the most interest and satisfaction because we are privy to the final battle and aftermath of a war that began in the first book.

2.5 stars: I liked parts, but I had issues (C)

About the Book:

Rebels, former Planet Core employees, have banded together in The Underground. They fight against the policies of the corporation that owns the lease on their lives. They will have their freedom or they will die trying.

The rebellion is stirring…
Will Garrison leads the fight against the control of the corporation—he wants his people to have their rights to live and love back. Reunited with his lover, former Planet Core medic Tim Harris, the men disagree on how to take down the corporation.

And the desire for freedom…
Tim’s plan requires that he provide a distraction while Will leads The Underground’s forces in a lightning raid, but who can Will trust when he’s already been betrayed once?

May cost these men everything…
Timing is everything, because if either fails The Underground may be crushed under the weight of Planet Core once and for all.

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Happy Reading!

Jen Twimom

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